Stop Sharing Data For Free And Get Paid Through Ourdata

If an oil company wanted to drill on your land because there was an untapped reserve beneath your feet, worth millions, billions of dollars, would you let them drill out of the kindness of your heart, without getting paid a cent?

Of course not. You’d expect a huge payout and begin spending the majority of your time interviewing message therapists and deciding what tropical island to call home. Yet, every time nearly each and every one of us goes online, someone else is savoring an ocean view courtesy of profits from the oil most of us fail to claim as our own – our data.

But that’s about to change.

Ourdata is a Benefit Corporation founded on the idea that consumers should be paid for their data. On the surface, Ourdata offers an ad or content blocker, currently available as an iOS app and Chrome browser extension (with an Android app coming soon). Ad blockers are hardly new. Here’s what separates Ourdata from the others: it is the only content blocker that pays you. Yes, you, the consumer.

Ourdata functions like a union. You consent to use them as your only ad blocker. In exchange for joining the community, they negotiate on the behalf of members with data-driven companies (like Google and Facebook) that already gather and use consumer data. Advertisers and publishers pay for the privilege to access your data. You can either block ads, or you can agree to see ads and share data. In the latter case, Ourdata then shares the financial rewards with you.

They pay out 90% to their consumer customers. As opposed to you normally receiving zilch.

The bigger the community, the more leverage Ourdata has to negotiate – tantalizing companies with a larger pool of valuable data. And since growing the community is key, Ourdata is offering more shares to those who sign on early. The sooner you join, the more money you earn. You can also increase your slice of the pie by having your friends sign up.

Data has become so valuable that it may well be worth more than advertising, as it allows businesses to target customers with much greater accuracy than traditional ad campaigns. We’re talking billions on the table. The only question is will you have any say as to where the money goes?

To enlist Ourdata to advocate on your behalf and get paid for your data, sign up or download the app at ourdata.us.

Photo Credits

Keith Liles is a freelance writer who loves travel, music, wine, hiking, poetry, and just about everything. He practices saying "yes" to life vigorously, rehearsing for the phone call when he's asked to tour with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Follow Keith on Twitter @KPLiles.